001
by Felix McKraken
Summary: In a world ruled by lifeless androids, there is no hope. In the world before, a number just isn't a number. NOTE: To be redone.
1. Salvation

**Salvation**  
  
His eyes opened, the sunlight beaming happily into his eyes. He put up a hand to shield his vision, squinting as he began to fully come to his senses. The glass-plastic hatch held his body snuggly - back bent, feet above his head. He groaned, fumbling his arms around for a grip, finally obtaining one. His entire body ached as he lifted himself up, exiting the vehicle through the hole in the the hatch. Once he was outside in the world again he wondered where he was. For some reason he thought of Amy. Miss Doctor Amy. Amy Amy. Doctor Amy Miller. Amy...  
  
Amy... 


	2. Redemption

**Redemption**  
  
He was conscious enough to feel pain. Very angry pain which consumed him entirely. So horrible he almost wished himself dead. He heard something. What, he wasn't sure. His senses were distorted, pain holding him immobile. Everything intertwined. Today was tomorrow, and tomorrow today....  
  
"Oh my god...can you hear me?"  
  
"Can you hear me?"  
  
"Shit..."  
  
"You know, it might help me out if you didn't pass out so much..."  
  
A dark room. A dim light. A figure over him dabbing a cool cloth against his skin. "Looks like you got caught up in the android attack," a female voice said, "You're lucky. A lot of people died...almost the entire population of the city." He could only lay there and breathe. "Take some time out.." she whispered, resting the cloth on his forehead. His eyelids were heavy, and he let them fall closed - let sleep take him. 


	3. Answers

**Answers**  
  
Days passed into weeks, then into months. He finally healed over the course of a half year, and Amy, the young woman who cared for him, began to teach him ways of life. Etiquette, social behavior, and even chivalry. After being bored for hours on end, he had decided to join her in whatever she was doing that day. "What are you doing?" he asked immediately, not demandingly, but rather, curiously.  
  
"Reading over a doctoral thesis, then I plan on doing an experiment to see if it's possible to make the human body heal faster than normal," Miss Amy replied, "What are you up to?"  
  
He was almost amused by her humor, "Nothing, as usual, and as always. You know that."  
  
She nodded, putting the papers down and taking off her glasses, "So, you, what would you like to do?"  
  
His eyebrows furrowed, a frown coming to his face, "I cannot think of anything that interests me."  
  
She sighed and leaned back in her chair, "You know, I wish you came with a personality."  
  
He merely shrugged at the comment, "I cannot help that, Amy."  
  
Realization came to her and she frowned, "I wish you had come with a name too." Since the moment they met Amy had called him "You", and nothing more. Any attempts to recover forms of I.D. were useless, and the fact that he didn't remember anything of his past didn't help either.  
  
At first it seemed to be amnesia, until the good doctor ran some tests. The amount of injury that was placed upon his body was fatal, and she had found that he had suffered some minor brain damage, in that, it wiped out part of his life. Gone. Forever. The chances of him recovering the lost information was zero to deep within the negatives.  
  
Today, Amy decided that he could not be called "You" forever. He needed a name, no matter how simplistic. She sighed deeply, standing and looking him over, "Well...I think you need a name. Some type of name." She stood, arms folded in thought. Finally Amy spoke again, "How about 001? You see, I want to become a doctor, I mean, I am one, but I want to be a doctor of my own hospital. You're my very first patient - patient 001."  
  
He blinked and gave a small shrug, saying softly, "Okay."  
  
Amy smiled widely at him, warmly as usual, "Okay then, 001."  
  
"Hey Amy?" he asked, taking a seat on her desktop, "When you found me...Where was I?"  
  
She examined him closely while taking a seat, "Alongside the road. Just outside of South City."  
  
He nodded, looking down, "How bad of a condition was I in?"  
  
She frowned, putting her glasses back on, "Bad." He nodded again, not speaking. 


	4. Injury

**Injury**  
  
He finished putting the rest of the scrap metal by the edge of the road, as Amy had asked. He never minded to do chores or things of the like for her - after all - she had saved his life, and for that, he was quite grateful. He gazed up at the deep, blue sky for a moment. He shielded his eyes from the sun as he took a gaze at the variety of clouds that littered the sky. It was a beautiful morning, really. Amy was outside, doing some observations, and he was towing the garbage down to the pick-up point - something that wasn't difficult to do in the least. He inhaled the air, breathing in the scent, taking it into his lungs and holding it there for a moment. And then, he heard Amy scream.  
  
'Amy!'  
  
His feet turned and he dashed towards her voice, like a knight in shining armor who goes to the damsel in distress. When she came into view he saw a man with black hair next to her. He had her arm in a grip, and he was speaking lowly. Amy struggled, trying to push the man away with no avail. She pulled away, glancing around for a way to escape when she saw him - 001. Their eyes met. He saw fear in her eyes. He'd never seen her so afraid. "RUN!" she screamed at him, "RUN!" He took a step back, indecisiveness holding him in place - half of him wanted to rush forward and simply save her, the other half wanted to obey her and run. The man looked at him, ice blue eyes hitting him to the core.  
  
'So dead,' he thought, 'So lifeless.'  
  
"RUN!" Amy screamed at the top of her lungs, tears running down her pretty face as she couldn't stand to see the handsome young man die before her feet, "RUN, ZERO!" A young woman emerged from the around the side of the house, joining the stranger.  
  
"I got her," said the man, "you get him." 001's heart began to beat faster, thumping loudly, beating in his ears.  
  
'Oh my god..' he stared in realization.  
  
These were the androids. They were going to kill Amy, and they were going to kill him.  
  
"You look familiar," said the blond.  
  
He turned and ran into the forest as fast as he could. His feet pounded the dirt floor, and he heard laughter behind him. He closed his eyes briefly, forcing his legs to move faster, to push him farther, to get him away. 'I'll run for you Amy,' he thought as he leaped over a fallen tree, 'I'll run for...' He heard her scream again. He stopped in his tracks and spun around, his lungs craving oxygen, but still he screamed, "AMY!!"  
  
The blond spoke behind him, "Yes, your little friend is dead."  
  
He spun around in surprise, clenching his fists automatically, "You killed her. You killed her without a second thought."  
  
The blond nodded and gave a shrug, "What's your point?" Anger welled up inside of him.  
  
These creatures nearly took his life away. Amy saved him. Now these cold machines took her away. It was like they came back for him.  
  
'I'm sorry, Amy.'  
  
"You...BITCH!" he yelled, feeling his eyes burn hot, feeling his throat tighten, barely squeezing the words out. He rarely cursed.  
  
"What?" the android said in shock. Before he realized what he was doing - he was moving. It felt natural in a way, so simple... He simply charged and swung, without knowing why. He only knew that these monsters had taken away Amy, and that they needed to feel the pain he felt.  
  
His fist connected with her jaw, knocking her around so that she landed face down on the ground.  
  
'Oh my god,' he thought.  
  
The blond stirred, pushing herself up onto her knees.  
  
'Run,' he could dimly hear Amy's voice in his head. It crescendoed instantly, blazing inside his skull, 'RUN!!'  
  
He was moving again, his legs pumping, moving him as quick and silent as he could. Perspiration ran down his forehead, he barely noted that he was lost in miles of thick forest. His mind kept racing, thoughts overlapping one another as he gasped for air, 'Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god...is she behind me? is she behind me? is she behind me?....oh god, Amy, Amy, Amy...' He felt like the only way any of the information made it through was by repetition.  
  
For the first time in his life, he felt paranoid.  
  
So he looked over his shoulder to see nothing behind him.  
  
It was then, however, that his foot snagged on a root, or a vine, or something. It didn't matter what, because all he knew was that he was falling. He stumbled, trying to sustain his balance and pull free, but it didn't work.  
  
He twisted in mid-air. 'Oh shit,' he thought, 'Oh shit.'  
  
His body slammed against the ground hard, his foot loosening just in time to keep his momentum.  
  
His body tumbled as he hit the edge of a hill. Here it was muddy from the recent rain. This was the densest part of the forest. He reached out to stop, but his hands merely dug into a soggy mess and he was unable to grip anything now that his hands were slick. He thought, 'Oh shit.'  
  
He hit the edge of a tree, the force knocking him around so that he slid on his back, facing up hill. 'Oh fuck,' he thought, unable to see where he was going, 'I'm going to hit a rock and bust my head open, I just know it.'  
  
His head connected with something hard, but whether it was a rock or not he wasn't sure because the next moment he was rolling down the steeper side of the hill so fast he felt like he could've vomited from the sheer thought of it. The world looked distorted, almost disconnected. He saw something large ahead. 'Shit, oh shit,' he thought, giving a futile attempt at stopping his body, but gravity was much more powerful in this case.  
  
'Ow,' he thought before it even happened.  
  
He hit another fallen tree, but because this was mostly rotted through it broke under his weight and allowed him a pleasant tumbling free fall for about two seconds before he landed sharp on his right knee. Even through the pants, he could feel blood oozing from the wound created. He couldn't stop to see how bad it was, however, as the farther he went along the steeper the hill wished to get. He felt sunlight splash across his skin, and blind his eyes whenever he happened to face up for the briefest of seconds. He was out in the open now, he could feel it, hear it, sense it...  
  
Dry dirt clung to the mud, the dust kicking up, rolling into his mouth and nose - sticking to open wounds, and small cuts. 'I'm never going to stop,' he thought as he again resisted the urge to vomit, 'I'm just going to die.'  
  
His shoulder smashed into something, causing him to spin out of control. His legs moved forward and he slid a few feet, looking down the side of the large incline before the feet caught on something, and he was forced forward. The sharp incline got sharper by the yard and he did a full twist and somersault in the air. He tried to bend his knees but they scraped rock moments before his face felt it.  
  
'Oh shit,' he thought, 'I just remembered where this goes.'  
  
He heard his heartbeat louder than before. His stomach churned again, stomach acid lingering in the back of his throat as a migrain attacked his head. His hands reached, out, trying to grasp any protrustions in the side of the hill. He tried to stay as flat as possible, still fumbling, still reaching. He felt the ground shift and become steeper, nearly vertical. He coughed, wheezed, and choked on dirt and dry saliva. 'I'm dead,' he thought, moving frantically, 'I'm dead.'  
  
His feet fell free from support. His body slid further. His hands grasped onto what they could, clinging on for dear life.  
  
He breathed. The panic began to subside.  
  
'I'm alive,' he realized, glancing down at the gourge beneath his feet. The hundreds of feet of nothing until rocks below.  
  
'I'm alive.'  
  
He began to climb. 


	5. Ashes to Ashes...

**Ashes to Ashes...**  
  
His entire body ached. But not as much as his heart.  
  
Amy was dead. And he had failed to save her, and therefore failed Amy.  
  
'I am not worthy to be your number one,' he thought, ignoring the jab of pain in his dislocated shoulder. He walked on through the forest, traveling in a general direction.  
  
It took him several hours to find his way. It was mid-afternoon when he finally arrived home. The sun beat down upon his skin, letting sweat mix with dirt and grime. Silently, he strode through the grass.  
  
He stopped.  
  
'Amy.'  
  
Somehow he didn't feel the pain as bad as before. Instead he felt very ill, his head spinning slightly as he walked - an involuntary motion. He went to the garage, and returned to his savior a moment later.  
  
He wasn't even there anymore. He sat back in the dark recesses of his mind, barely agreeing to let his body do what was necessary. He aimed and jammed his foot down, hearing the soft crunch. He pulled back and up, lifting and overturning. The process repeated itself. The afternoon birds sung their songs. The bugs buzzed. The wind blew through the branches and leaves on the trees.  
  
He thought, 'Everyone around me is dead, dying, or will die.'  
  
He paused, wiping his brow. He looked down into sightless eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered, kneeling next to her form. Hesitantly, with his hand shaking, he closed those eyes. He exhaled a breath he didn't realize he'd held. He waited a moment, gaining his bearings. Then he lifted the body gently, and placed it into the ground. His lips moved, but no sound escaped, "I'm sorry." His mind escaped him once more as his hand lifted the shovel. Down, up, over, flip; repeat. It was systematic. It was a gesture. This was the wave goodbye. Back and forth. He stopped, eventually, and dropped the tool. He stepped back, looking at the earth with its newly acquired mound.  
  
He turned around, feeling like he was no longer welcome.  
  
The residence that had been his home for several months was now simply nothing more than a man-made shelter out in the middle of nowhere.  
  
001 decided he wanted his name. 


	6. Hospitality

**Hospitality**  
  
It took him two days to reach the nearest town, and he finally sat down for a much needed rest. Not because of the physical strain of walking for two days, but rather the lack of food and water. The sun was sweltering hot and he was certain he was dehydrated. It should of taken him only a few hours to reach a town, but he found all the nearest ones decimated. He was forced to keep on walking. In fact, the place he was at was less of a town and more of a village. The housing was all camouflaged neatly within a forest which held it and engulfed it. It was a great hiding place from the androids. He'd only been there a few minutes when someone noticed his sickly state. "Hey there, son, are you okay?" asked an elderly man who was walking with what appeared to be his granddaughter. He shook his head, honestly answering the question.  
  
"What's the matter?" the man asked, approaching him, offering a shoulder to cry on if need be.  
  
"Androids...killed Amy....." 001 paused to catch his breath, only now realizing how exhausted he really was, "..walked here, so hungry..." His eyes rolled back and he promptly fell over, unconscious.  
  
He awoke sometime later, and presumably, it was currently night. He was laying on a futon, or what he thought to be a futon, with a cold washcloth on his forehead. He sat up, feeling much better than he had earlier from getting some much needed sleep. His stomach rumbled a loud complaint and he held a hand over his abdomen, trying to will it into silence. No one seemed to be present, so he exited the tent he was in to find some company. It was dark and still, but somehow he could sense the presence of many individuals around him. He felt someone gently place a hand on his elbow. "We don't keep fire goings at night," someone whispered lowly, "the androids would be able to find us." He nodded, his eyes adjusting themselves further, and he could make out the figure next to him.  
  
"You must be hungry," the lady continued, then he felt something being placed into his hand, "Eat. I'll get you something to drink."  
  
Judging by the size, texture, and scent, he assumed the woman had handed him a piece of bread. He nearly drooled and jammed the grain product into his mouth, chewing it zealously as hunger overtook him. It wasn't much of a meal, and it barely whetted his appetite. He groaned in disappointment as his body demanded more. Amy had always told him he ate enough for an army, but he would only laugh at her exaggeration.  
  
Sigh. Amy.  
  
The lady returned with a cup of water, carefully handing it to him. He took it gratefully and downed it within a minute. "What's your name?" she whispered, handing him another piece of food, and he assumed it was an apple.  
  
"001," he replied taking a large bite out of the juicy fruit and swallowing it without barely chewing at all. The woman didn't seem too surprised, as tragedy must've aged her prematurely, for her voice indicated for her to still be in her prime.  
  
"My name's Emily, and if you need something, don't hesitate to ask. We're all friends here," she explained, patting him lightly on the back, "I know it's tough, but we all have to move on. My husband and two children were murdered by those androids. You lost someone close to you as well?"  
  
His throat constricted, and his mouth felt dry again, "Yes. Her name was Amy. She helped me when I was first attacked by the androids."  
  
Emily took hold of his elbow again and began to guide him, "Speak softly, my son. Many are trying to rest. Please though, do tell me of your first encounter with those demons. Talking about it always seems to help."  
  
001 merely followed her for a few moments, then his will to speak returned, "I don't know what happened. Amy found me alongside the road, near the town the androids had recently demolished. I myself am a victim of those machines."  
  
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"  
  
"I don't even know who I am. Amy was a doctor, she said I had a serious head injury and I'll never be able to remember."  
  
"My god..not a name or anything?"  
  
"I have no identification. Amy named me 001."  
  
They paused in their tracks, and finally, sat down. "I doubt we can offer you any knowledge here, but you could risk going to a more populated place, such as a city. You might be able to find a news article on yourself in the records at the libraries," Emily helped him the best she could, wondering if it would be best for him to possibly discover the death of his entire family.  
  
"Why would I be in the newspaper?" he instead asked, breaking the disturbing silence.  
  
"Obituaries," the young woman announced sadly, "Every city keeps them up to date. It is depressing, but everyone agrees that it is better to know if their loved ones have passed on or not. If you go to Stratford, they're bound to have the information you seek."  
  
"Then I'll depart tomorrow, once I've gotten plenty of rest and enough nourishment. I thank you for your kindness."  
  
"You are very welcome, my son." 


End file.
